Project Description

Player Expectations of Animal Incorporated Computer Games

Abstract.

Animal incorporated games were both hypothesized and shown to serve multiple desired objectives, among which improvement of animal welfare, strengthening pet-owner relations, and creating new experiences for human players. We study the expected player experience of animal incorporated games through the use of an extended survey (n=177). Our results indicate that respondents expect (a) added unpredictability caused by animal-opponent behavior, (b) increased enjoyment when playing against animals, for a limited duration of time, and (c) that hypothetical exact simulation of animal behavior offers equally interesting opponent behavior. Furthermore, concerns of animal welfare significantly moderate the preference for computer-, exact simulated- or animal-opponents. These outcomes can be used to correct for aspects such as novelty bias, when measuring player experiences in animal incorporated type games.